


(Un)happy Reunion

by BunniesofDoom



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Blake Belladonna Needs a Hug, Crying, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Ruby Rose (RWBY) Needs a Hug, Spoilers: Volume 8 (RWBY), Volume 8 (RWBY), updated the ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:53:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29496843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunniesofDoom/pseuds/BunniesofDoom
Summary: This reunion isn't quite what Yang was expecting.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna & Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna & Ruby Rose & Weiss Schnee & Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Ruby Rose & Weiss Schnee, Ruby Rose & Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 5
Kudos: 94





	(Un)happy Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> This is kind of messy and doesn't quite jive with episode 9 but oh well, I just wanted to get the idea out of my head. Spoilers up to episode 9 of volume 8. Enjoy!

This reunion isn't quite what Yang was expecting.

Blake returns the hug that Yang engulfs her in as soon as they see each other, but a bit less enthusiastically than Yang had been expecting, releasing her after only a few seconds and taking a step back. "Come on, it's not safe out here," she says quietly, turning to open the front door of the manor. "We should get inside."

Blake has seemed uneasy since they arrived, constantly glancing up to scan the darkened skies for any signs of danger. Now that Yang is paying attention, she notes the dark circles under her partner's eyes, and the worried, almost haunted look on her face. Clearly, a lot happened while they were gone.

Blake's appearance, combined with the obvious signs of a fight outside, causes a knot of worry to grow in Yang's stomach. Clearly, the manor had been attacked, but by what? Was it Cinder, or some of Salem's other forces? Are the others okay? And where are they?

Her last question is answered—at least partially—when the front door swings open to reveal Ruby and Weiss waiting inside. Neither girl looks particularly happy to see them—Weiss has a carefully neutral expression on her face, and while Ruby is smiling, it doesn't quite reach their eyes. Both girls look worse for wear. Their combat gear is stained with splotches of the same strange green substance that was in the crater outside. For some reason it reminds Yang of blood.

Ruby waves weakly at them as they step inside. "It's good to see you," her sister says tonelessly. It's a jarring departure from the way her sister usually greets people, with a wide grin and super-speed hug and a cloud of rose petals scattering everywhere. Behind her dark bangs, Ruby has pronounced circles under her eyes, and her face is even paler than usual. She holds herself awkwardly, almost leaning into Weiss, with one arm wrapped awkwardly around her middle.

Their mission to retrieve the code had been successful, right? They'd seen the broadcast go out. So why does it feel like a funeral in here?

Ren frowns, eyes narrowed as he scans the other girls. They widen when they land on Ruby, and he shakes his head, as if he can't quite believe what he's seeing. "Where is Nora?" Ren asks, breaking the silence that's fallen over them like an oppressive weight. "What happened?"

Weiss barks a laugh. It's not a happy sound. "What hasn't happened?"

Blake sighs. "Nora is upstairs, in Weiss' room," she explains quietly. "Follow me and I'll take you to her."

She leads the way up the stairs and down the hallway. Yang, Jaune, Ren, and Oscar follow her, while Ruby and Weiss bring up the rear. They stay quiet as they move through the manor—somehow, it feels wrong to talk. The grim atmosphere hanging over the city somehow feels ten times worse inside.

As soon as Blake opens the door to reveal Nora lying in Weiss' bed, still and pale with an IV in her arm, Ren immediately rushes to her side. Yang and Jaune stop in their tracks. "What happened to her?" Jaune asks, eyes wide with disbelief.

Weiss sighs. "It happened while we were infiltrating an Atlas base for the code. We were—locked out of a room, and to get us through, Nora absorbed the power from an electrified door. It worked, but it was too much electricity for her to take, and she collapsed."

"She's doing a bit better now that Weiss' doctor looked at her, but we're still not sure if she's going to be okay," Ruby says, her voice small. It's only the second time she's spoken since they arrived.

A quiet Ruby is never a good sign.

From the looks of it, the girls have pretty much set up camp here in Weiss' room. "So, what, you guys have just been sitting around here waiting?"

It's meant as a joke, but the rest of her team clearly bristles at the suggestion. "Of course not," Ruby says tiredly.

"Just because we haven't been out on the front lines fighting doesn't mean that we've just been sitting around," Blake replies, folding her arms across her chest.

"Let's see." Weiss holds up one hand as if about to start counting something off. "We had to find someone to treat Nora before she could get any worse, then Penny crash-landed in the courtyard, then the power went out and we had to turn on the spare generator so we could take care of Penny, and then a weird talking Grimm showed up and chased us all over the manor before we could kill it." She pauses to take a breath. "Is that everything? Oh yeah, and then when we finally managed to kill the Grimm, we found out that there was a person inside the whole time."

There's a beat of silence following her rant. Yang doesn't know which part about the Grimm alarms her the most, but one particular detail sticks out in her mind. "It talked?"

"Like the one that took Oscar," Jaune murmurs.

"Really? You're just going to ignore the part about the fact that there was a person in there?" Weiss asks incredulously, putting her hands on her hips.

"Guys—" Ruby tries to chime in, but she's immediately interrupted by Jaune.

"That is troubling," Jaune admits. "We're just trying to match it up with what we saw. Maybe it's the same one."

"Probably." Yang hopes they're the same one. "How many talking Grimm can there be?"

"Watching a person emerge from that Grimm and crumble to dust is one of the most horrifying things I've ever seen," Blake says, her voice sounding hollow. "And I had to watch that—that thing almost take Ruby away and whisk her back to Salem, while I couldn't do anything but watch. I haven't been that scared in a long time."

"Blake—" Ruby and Yang say, practically in unison, both of them immediately trying to comfort the dark-haired girl.

"We almost lost you, Ruby." Blake gives a shaky sigh. "I won't be able to forget that for a long time, if ever."

"Blake's right." Weiss says, expression softening slightly before she shakes her head, glaring at Yang. "And what exactly have you guys accomplished since you're so intent on lecturing us? Because from the sound of it, all you've managed to do is lose Oscar and barely manage to get him back. Weren't you supposed to be helping the people of Mantle? Why are you back up in Atlas?"

"Guys—" Ruby tries to interject, to steer the conversation somewhere safer, but it's much too late.

Yang bristles, seeing red. Is Weiss seriously accusing them of abandoning the people of Mantle? "We had to fight against Salem herself, in case you didn't notice!" She's shouting now, glaring harshly at Weiss, ready to breathe fire at the ex-heiress if only her semblance would allow it.

And then— "Enough!" Ruby bellows, loud enough to make everyone turn to look at her. Even Ren glances up from his spot at Nora's bedside. "Can you guys please quit arguing already? This isn't helping anyone. We're just playing into Salem's hands!"

And then, to everyone's shock, she bursts into tears, burying her face in her hands with a loud sob. Weiss and Blake hurry to her side, with Yang following a few steps behind. Her first instinct is to comfort Ruby, regardless of the issues between them lately, but Weiss' pointed glare makes it clear that she should keep her distance. She resigns herself to hovering uselessly a few steps away while her teammates comfort her sister.

"You should sit down," Blake says gently, nudging Ruby towards a chair. "You've got to be exhausted, and I know that your ribs are still bothering you."

Ruby mumbles something that Yang can't quite make out, while Weiss pulls her close and strokes her hair. Once upon a time, she'd been the one at her sister's side, but now she feels the distance between them more than ever.

So much for a happy reunion. They've got a long way to go just to pick up the pieces.

But she can at least start trying to mend what's obviously so broken between them. "Ruby," she says, stepping forward and ignoring the obvious cold shoulder Weiss is giving her. "I'm sorry. I love you." She holds her arms out, and her sister instinctively lunges for her, burying her face in her chest with a loud sob.

"Yang," Ruby murmurs, voice choked with tears. "I love you."

She was wrong before. Salem hasn't taken everyone from her.

Ruby is still here.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please comment and leave kudos if you liked it.
> 
> Just a reminder that I do take requests for fics, so if there's an idea that you'd like to see me write, feel free to message me and if I like it, I might end up writing something for it.


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